


Devil On My Shoulder

by East02End



Category: Ballum, EastEnders
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27776179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/East02End/pseuds/East02End
Summary: This is my take on what would happen if it was Callum who attacked Ian?It will definitely NOT go like this, but I wrote for my own amusement :)*”Blackmail? This isn’t your fault, you did what you did to keep me safe. Now it’s my turn to keep you safe.”*
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell, Ian Beale & Callum Highway
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	Devil On My Shoulder

“Your in trouble aren’t you?” Ian smirked at Callum. 

“No? I just need you to tell the police it was you, that made that call??”

“Nah, you wouldn’t be so desperate, if that’s all you wanted? Why corner me in the barrel store then?”

“I’m just asking?! You know I’m doing this for Ben??”

Callum could feel his heart getting faster, trying to stay calm. Ian was probably his last chance to save himself and Ben together. 

“Please, Ian...”

Ian smiled at Callum, enjoying every minute. 

“Why are you so desperate?? I can’t help if you won’t tell me can I?”

Callum hesitated, sighing to himself. 

“My boss needs to do something or he’ll take Ben away from me.”

“Do what?” Ian squinted. 

“Does that matter?? Are you gonna help or not?!”

“Carry on.” He insisted. 

Callum groaned, pacing from one side to the other. 

“Phil, okay?! He wants Phil or he takes Ben?! So either way I’m screwed!”

Ian laughed, grinning at Callum. 

“Oh, this is gold.”

“This is NOT amusing?!”

“So your saying, you need me?”

“If you like?”

“Wow, never thought I’d see the day, the Mitchells needing me. I take it your boyfriend dearest doesn’t know, your trying to sell his dad down the river?”

“Course not!”

“Callum, Callum. You are a dark horse aren’t you?”

“Are you gonna help or not?!”

Ian laughed, shaking his head at him. 

“Your really that thick? You think I’m gonna help that family? For what? Just to help you? Thought you were supposed to be smart? I wouldn’t help Ben, Phil or you if it was the last thing I did. Let your boss take em, Callum, your better off without them.”

“You bastard!” Callum cried. This was it. His only hope, gone. “You had no intention of helping. This is all a bit of fun for you, isn’t it?!”

“Maybe? Just wanted to know why your so desperate. Oh, Ben’s face will be priceless, when I tell him.”

“You dare...” Callum hissed. 

“Phil!” Ian grinned. “What was it you said to me, when you invited yourself into my kitchen last week? You won’t have the use of your legs? Think that was it?” Ian smirked. 

“Ian, I swear to god-“

“I ent scared of you, Callum? What are you gonna do?”

Ian turned around, Callum panicking, not sure what he was supposed to do. 

“Let’s see if you have the use of your legs, when Phil finds out shall we?”

“You can’t?!” Callum cried, looking around the room for a key for the door lock or something. 

One minute, Ian was smirking at him, the next, he was lying on the floor, Callum clutching a beer barrel in his hands. 

Callum dropped it, sinking to his knees next to Ian. 

“Nonono, what have I done?!” He sobbed, trying to feel a pulse. Callum jumped, Ian’s blood from his head, covering his hands. 

~*~

“You seen Callum?” Ben frowned at Sharon. “I haven’t seen him for ages, I’ve checked everywhere? Said he needed to be somewhere then dashed off?”

“He came in here a while ago, desperate to find Ian.”

“Ian?? What for?”

“Don’t know. You can go through if you want, I did ask Ian to change a barrel, but he’s been down there ages.” Sharon shook her head, muttering to herself. 

“Cal?” Ben called, not sure if he’d gone upstairs. 

“I can’t-“

Ben frowned, hearing Callum still in the store room. 

“What’s so important you got to miss movie...” Ben trailed off, looking between Callum and Ian sprawled out on the floor. “Night...” He finished. 

Ben rushed over to Callum, sobbing to himself on the floor, staring at his hands, covered in blood. 

“What happened?!” Ben locked to the store room door, dropping to the floor next to him. 

“It was an accident! I didn’t plan it!! I swear, I don’t know what happened, he was gonna tell you and- and I couldn’t lose you- I couldn’t let him ruin it! And he was goading me- so I...”

“Woah, woah, slow down!”

“I’m so sorry, Ben!” He whined, choking out his sobs. 

Ben wrapped his arms around Callum, whining to himself, still staring at his hands. 

“Stop it.” Ben insisted, pushing his hands down, covering his own hands in Ian’s blood. 

“I can’t! I don’t what I did, I just-“

“Is he still alive?” Ben let go Callum for a second, trying to find a pulse on Ian’s neck. 

“I don’t know?!”

Ben held Callum again, nodding to him. “He’s still breathing.”

“Your sure?!”

Ben nodded, looking around. 

“What did you hit him with?”

Callum pointed shakily at the beer barrel, Ben stroking his hair. 

“We need to get rid of it.”

Callum looked up at Ben, scanning his face. “What?? What for?!”

“We need to make this look like an accident.” Ben muttered to himself. 

“Ben! We can’t! I just attacked him?!”

“Do you want to get sent to prison??”

Callum moaned to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“Just let me help you?!”

“You shouldn’t be?! You should hate me?!”

“I don’t! Whatever you’ve done, I swear I won’t. I promise. Explain later, we need to sort him out?”

Callum nodded, holding onto Ben. 

“I don’t know what to do!” He whined. 

“Help me drag him down the alley outside.”

“What, why?!” Callum cried. 

“Make it look like he’s been mugged by some stranger? Just do it, Cal, please.”

Callum dragged himself off the floor, Ben already up and grabbing Ian by his jacket. 

“Don’t touch anything else!” Ben cried. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing?!”

“Just the jacket.” Ben insisted. 

Callum nodded, Ben holding the door open, heading outside. 

“Where you going?!” Callum moaned. 

“To check no ones about? Just stay there, don’t worry.” 

Callum sobbed to himself, gripping onto Ian’s jacket. 

“We’re fine.” 

Callum jumped, Ben scaring him. 

“Just help me do this, and you’ll be fine.” Ben nodded. 

“I can’t do this, Ben. I’m supposed to be a police officer! I can’t just leave him like that?!”

“You can. You’ll lose your job if they find out?”

Callum looked unsure, but helped Ben drag Ian outside anyway, Ben bringing the barrel with him. 

“This needs to go. It’s got your DNA all over it. Take his jacket too.”

Callum did as he was told, Ben already dragging the barrel away. “We need to clean up in there too, we can’t leave it like that.” 

Ben looked at Ian, closing his eyes briefly, before shutting the door, shutting them both back into the store room. 

“Wait here.” Ben nodded. “Don’t move.”

Callum nodded, looking at his hands again. 

“What you looking for?” Sharon frowned at Ben searching through the cleaning cupboard. 

Ben spun around, looking at Sharon. 

“Ian said he’s gone to find Mum?” He blurted out. 

“Seriously, just cos he lives here, he can’t just go whenever he pleases?” She huffed. “I need him here.”

“Emergency.” Ben nodded.

“What you looking for anyway?”

“Oh, went into the barrel store and tripped over one.” Ben rolled his eyes. “Ian left it there. I threw it away, burst open, everywhere.”

“You need help?”

“No! I mean, your busy here. I’ll sort it.”

“Did you find Callum?”

“Err no, I was just trying to clear up the mess I made. I’ll find him later. I’m sure he’s not gone far.”

Sharon nodded, leaving him to it. 

Ben let out a sigh of relief, heading back to Callum. 

“Come on, once we sort this out, you’ll be fine.”

“I won’t be?! Ian’s just gonna tell someone when he wakes up? IF he wakes up. Sharon’s gonna know some of her stock had gone missing and I can’t go to prison, Ben?!”

“Your not going to. Listen to me. Look at me, Callum. Callum?!”

Callum looked up slowly from his sticky hands, meeting Ben’s eyes. 

“I’m gonna make sure nothing happens to you. I promise. I’ve already sorted Sharon. I tripped over it and chucked it away, yeah?”

Callum nodded, glancing at the door. 

“And Ian? Leave him to me. If someone finds him, I’m gonna be the first person to see him.”

“What you gonna say??”

“He’ll listen to me, if he still wants to live.” 

Callum choked out another sob, Ben wrapping his arms around him. 

“Your gonna be okay.” Ben whispered. 

Callum whined into his neck, Ben holding onto him. 

“We can’t be too long.” Ben reminded, starting to clear it all away. 

“I need you to know everything.” Callum insisted. “You’ll hate me after. I know you will. And wish you’d never helped me. I need to hand myself in, Ben?!”

“No your not!!” Ben insisted. “Don’t even think about it. Just tell me while we’re doing this?”

Callum let out a shaky breath, helping slowly, Ben doing most it. 

Callum explained everything, Thompson blackmailing him, the bug, Ben traded for Phil, everything. Ben said nothing the whole while, still sorting it all out. 

“Say something.” Callum whispered, Ben still cleaning up when he’d finished telling him. “Please, Ben...”

Callum choked out a sob, when Ben left the room, convinced he was gonna leave him there. He returned a few seconds later, taking the cleaning stuff back. 

Ben only spoke when he’d finished, checking the room, looking at Callum. 

“You didn’t do this cos you wanted did you?”

“No!” Callum cried. 

“That’s it then.” Ben shrugged. 

“What?!”

“Blackmail? This isn’t your fault, you did what you did to keep me safe. Now it’s my turn to keep you safe.”

Callum let out a sob, Ben wrapping his arms around him. 

“I thought I was gonna lose you.”

“Never.” Ben whispered, standing back again. “We haven’t got much time, we need to go.”

“Ian was gonna tell you and I wanted to instead?”

“Ian’s a sly, bastard who loves getting what he wants and seeing people suffer. Just let me deal with him. And everything else? We’ll sort it together.”

“What about Phil??”

“He doesn’t need to know. None of it. I just need to make sure he stays on the straight and narrow for a bit. Lay low. They can’t get him if he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Ben checked the room one last time, wiping his hands down his shirt, Callum staring at the blood, drying on it already. 

“Right, where were you tonight?”

“What?” Callum frowned. 

“Where have you been all night?”

Callum looked at Ben, clicking on. 

“With you.” He nodded.

“At home, movie night, like usual. I come to find you, you weren’t there and you’d come home after I came back.”

Callum nodded, Ben opening the back door, stepping over Ian, holding his hand out for Callum. 

“I can’t...”

“You can, come on.” Ben nodded. 

Callum took his hand, closing his eyes, stepping over Ian too. “I can’t go back after this...”

“Your gonna be fine.” Ben whispered, shoving Callum’s hands in his pocket, doing the same to himself. They couldn’t blow their cover with blood all over their hands. 

“We’re just going home.” Ben nodded. “Get rid of the barrel, get out of these clothes and clean ourselves okay?”

Callum nodded slowly, shaking next to Ben. 

“I’m sorry...” Callum whispered. 

“I swore I wouldn’t hate you.” Ben smiled. “This isn’t your fault, none of it. You’ve been forced to do things you don’t want, because I did one stupid thing. I’m gonna help you, I promise.”

“Thank you. I don’t what I’d have done without you.” 

Ben nodded, guiding Callum with him, making sure no one saw them. His turn to keep Callum safe for a change.


End file.
